Abstract

Waste cooking oil (WCO) can be a useful secondary raw material, if properly managed. On the contrary, uncontrolled disposal generates negative environmental impacts as well as economic loss. Therefore, improving WCO recovery rate, with the cooperation of citizens and effective collection programs, is fundamental. The aim of the study was to investigate the reason for the low recovery of WCO in those areas suffering serious waste management problems such as the Campania region in Southern Italy. For this purpose, the case of a WCO collection program adopted in Angri, a town of around 34,000 people with a high population density, was studied. In 2015, the collection program was managed by a social cooperative, while, in 2016, after the change of the local government, the collection of WCO was entrusted to a private company. In 2015, the households’ participation in the collection program was surveyed through a structured questionnaire. The results revealed that the collection of WCO was practiced by 53% of the respondents. Among those not collecting WCO, 76% of the sample wrongly disposed of WCO in their home (kitchen or toilet). Misinformation was the main reason why they did not adhere to the collection program. Therefore, it was suggested to support information and environmental education campaigns to promote environmental awareness of citizens. Unfortunately, the change of management, together with serious problems in the collection of municipal waste in the whole region, due to the continuous closures of the mechanical and biological plants, produced a sharp decline in the collection from 7730 kg in 2015 to an average of 3800 kg for the period 2016–2019, with a loss of more than 15,000 kg of WCO wrongly disposed with consequent environmental and economic damage. Therefore, information and awareness campaigns are important but the form of entrusting the collection service is equally important, especially in areas with long-standing waste management problems.

Highlights

  • Waste cooking oil (WCO) is a type of domestic waste generated as the result of cooking and frying food with edible vegetable oil [1]

  • More than 70% knew that the collection of WCO (Q2) was carried out in Angri

  • From 2016, the service was entrusted to a private company, which was less present in the area as well as less committed to involving citizens in the collection program and in control activities, compared to the social cooperative

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Summary

Introduction

Waste cooking oil (WCO) is a type of domestic waste generated as the result of cooking and frying food with edible vegetable oil [1]. WCO refers mainly to frying oil used at high temperatures, edible fat mixed in kitchen waste and oily wastewater directly discharged into sewers [2]. WCO is considered part of ‘municipal solid waste’ (MSW) which in Italy is a synonym of domestic waste. Official statistics on the level of collection of WCO in Europe vary between 100,000 and 700,000 tons/year [1], which equals less than 1 kg per inhabitant per year [3]. The uncontrolled disposal of WCO generates negative environmental impacts as well as economic loss. Diverting WCO from improper forms of disposal extends the product’s life cycle and prevents the contamination of groundwater with this harmful liquid waste [4]

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